English Channel

American  

noun

1. an arm of the Atlantic Ocean between southern England and northern France, connected with the North Sea by the Strait of Dover. 350 miles (565 kilometers) long; 20–100 miles (32–160 kilometers) wide.

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English Channel British  

noun

1. French name: La Manche.  an arm of the Atlantic Ocean between S England and N France, linked with the North Sea by the Strait of Dover. Length: about 560 km (350 miles). Width: between 32 km (20 miles) and 161 km (100 miles)

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English Channel Cultural  

1. Arm of the Atlantic Ocean between France and Britain.

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Discover More

A tunnel under the channel connects England and France via auto-carrying train service.

Its cold, choppy waters have been a popular challenge for long-distance swimmers.

A formation of high bluffs on the British side of the English Channel is known as the White Cliffs of Dover.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

English Channel

A teenager accused of endangering the lives of 165 migrants by allegedly piloting a record-breaking dinghy crossing of the English Channel is to stand trial.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Streeting also dismissed a Russian warship's recent live-firing exercise in the English Channel as "performative" but added it was a "reminder of the frankly unsafe and unprofessional way in which they have been conducting themselves".

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

Between 1 January and 13 July 2026, a total of 12,469 people crossed the English Channel by small boat from France.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

The southern North Sea and the English Channel are quite shallow, which means they can heat up quickly when the air above is warm.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

I'd do an Evel Knievel off the White Cliffs of Dover, over the English Channel, over the spotless stainless sunrise.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell